


Happy Hunger Games

by octavia74



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:53:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25465795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octavia74/pseuds/octavia74
Summary: “On the 75th anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors.”For the 3rd Quarter Quell, District 2 lacks a living female victor, so the tribute is chosen from the eligible girls of the district. Rey Kenobi's name is called, an anyone would be insane to volunteer to replace her. The male tribute is Kylo Ren, the Capitol's golden boy who won his first games 12 years ago.Can Rey overcome not just Kylo, but the other victor-tributes as well to make it out alive?----------------------------------ON HIATUS
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 7
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

“On the 75th anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors.” Emperor Palpatine’s voice was gravely and filled with excitement. It was clear he thought this was a great idea. 

There was grumbling around the District 2 Hob, but instead of the angry whispers Rey was used to following any mention of the Hunger Games, there seemed to be genuine excitement in the air. 

Maz, who was standing behind Rey and constantly stirring her ‘beef’ soup, tutted harshly. “They think that means their children won’t be chosen, not this year anyway, but how many female victors do we have, I ask you?”

As this was a rhetorical question - everyone knew District 2 had no living female victors - no one responded, except Finn asked, “What will they do then? Choose two men?”

Maz nodded at the projection to say ‘We’ll see.’ The citizens of the Capitol, who had broken into the required applause at the Emperor’s announcement, were quieting, and Gamemaker Snoke had approached the microphone. 

“Our most avid fans,” he drawled, his voice like death made into sound. More than one person around the Hob shivered at his cold tone. He continued, “will be sure to notice that one district lacks female victors.” He said it as if it should be embarrassing, as if District 2 should be ashamed that their last female victor, Enobaria, had died the year prior and no other woman from District 2 had yet to win the Games. “In the case of District 2, the female tribute shall be chosen from the usual pool of girls.”

This sparked the angry outburst Rey was used to when the Hunger Games were spoken of, at least around the laborers of the District. The wealthy, whose children were most likely to volunteer for the Games, looked upon them with much less displeasure. It was even more intense as usually people kept their unhappiness to whispers, but multiple people began shouting at the projection. One man Rey recognized as a regular customer of Maz’s yelled, “She’ll have no chance against them!”

This surprised Rey. She had never been worried about being chosen for the Games as most often someone would volunteer, hoping to bring honor to the district by winning. These ‘careers’, as they were called, were tough, athletic, practiced at slaying. Certainly going up against victors would be a challenge, but with how much training the careers received, Rey thought it was possible that they would win. 

Maz tutted again, and Rey turned around to see the small older woman shaking her head. “Only a fool would volunteer to go up against a group of victors,” Maz explained as if she had read Rey’s mind. “I highly doubt we’ll have a volunteer this year. The victors all know each other from being mentors. Anyone new will have a hard time finding allies.”

Finn was eyeing Rey with a concerned expression on his face, “How many times will your name be in there, Rey?”

Seven times for each year she’s been eligible, including this one. Plus the tesserae she’s taken every year for herself and her caretaker. He always made her take it, though before now, she’s never worried about being chosen. Now, the number gets stuck in her throat as she tries to say, “Twenty-one.”

“That’s not that many,” Finn tried to calm her. 

“All it takes is one,” a man near them said.

“Don’t listen to him,” Finn muttered. 

“Take some soup, children,” Maz ordered them, ladling the greasy mixture into two wooden bowls. 

“We don’t have anything to pay you with, Maz,” Rey told her, her voice quiet but even.

Maz shook her head and forced a bowl into Rey’s hands. Maz knew that Rey’s caretaker, Plutt, didn’t feed her as much as he should, keeping her food rations for himself. Rey had been a starving little girl found alone on the mesa with nothing but the clothes on her back and a slip of paper with “Rey Kenobi” written on it. Plutt agreed to ‘raise’ her, though Rey was sure he only did it for the extra food rations and the free labor. She spent every day scouring the desert for metal for him to sell to be recycled. At least, Rey always thought, it kept her out of the stone quarries. 

Their part of District 2 was situated in what used to be called New Mexico and was now called Jakku. It was the poorest part of District 2. The wealthy people, like the Mayor and the shopkeepers, lived in the northern section, closer to the Capitol. The laborers lived in the south, and the most desperate of them lived in Jakku. 

“Reaping tomorrow,” Maz muttered, speaking to herself, “everyone needs their strength.”

Rey had never been more nervous for a reaping. In fact, the only one she had been nervous for was her first one, at age twelve, and that was only because she was afraid the cameras would catch her and show her dirty and tattered clothes to the citizens of the Capitol. They were supposed to wear their best to the reapings, but Rey’s best was a torn and stained tunic and pants that had, at one point she supposed, been white. However, she’d learned that it was easy to hide in the crowd of eligible girls, and so she was not nervous for her subsequent reapings. Although her name had never been called by the towering Capitol escort, Phasma, Rey had always been sure that if it was, a career would volunteer for her place.

* * *

At the next day’s reaping, even the careers looked nervous, although their names were in the pool the minimum amount. Careers never took tesserae as they couldn’t volunteer if their names were chosen.

Finn stood with Maz a little way away from her, looking just as nervous as the girls from Jakku who had taken tesserae. It was most likely one of them would be chosen, and also most likely they would be killed quickly. In addition to Maz’s concern that anyone new wouldn’t be able to make allies, any tribute from Jakku would be at a disadvantage considering not one of them had ever had enough to eat in a single day in their lives. 

The video from the Capitol played, giving the history of the Rebellion and the reason for the Hunger Games. They added Emperor Palpatine’s statement on the Quarter Quell theme; “as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol.” Then, Phasma stepped up to the microphone between the two bowls of names. 

Rey, along with everyone she knew, hated on sight anyone from the Capitol, but as escorts went, Rey knew Phasma was a pretty good one. She never wore outlandish clothes or brightly colored wigs like the escorts from other districts that appeared in the projections of other reapings. Today, she was wearing a blue jump-suit with reasonable-looking boots. Her white-blonde hair was cropped short and her eyes are rimmed in thin eyeliner. She could have been a wealthy citizen of District 2, except for the fact that she was clearly better fed than even them, and of course, her affected Capitol accent. 

“As always,” she spoke into the microphone, “ladies first.”

Phasma walked to the bowl on her left, which was considerably more full than the one on her right. There were three male victors and each had their name in only once. There were about 25 girls corralled around Rey, and most had their name in more than ten times. Phasma plunged her hand into the bowl, swished a little, and then drew out one slip of white paper. She walked quickly back to center-stage, held the paper up to read it, and spoke again into the microphone, “Rey Kenobi.”

“NO!” someone shouted. It wasn’t Rey; it must have been Finn. Rey was frozen, rooted to the ground. The world had slowed to a halt. It must be a mistake, but the girls around her were already edging away as if she had some contagious disease, their eyes sympathetic but also clearly relieved. 

Someone grabbed her arm, a peacekeeper probably, and dragged her away from the group and toward the stage. Rey’s feet worked only enough to stumble and keep her upright. All her weight was held up by the peacekeeper. 

“Very good,” Phasma said to the peacekeeper, at least it must have been to the peacekeeper. Whoever said ‘very good’ to Rey right then deserved a long and painful death. “Up here, Rey, come on.”

Rey’s feet climbed the stairs. Her mind was still full of haze. The world had not yet picked back up to its normal speed. Rey stood dumb as Phasma turned back to address the crowd. 

“And now for the male tribute.” Phasma reached her hand into the right bowl, and selected one of the three slips. She looked at it oddly for a second, and Rey saw a muscle in her jaw tighten before she regained control and smiled at the waiting audience. 

“The male tribute is... Kylo Ren.”

There was a murmuring at that. Kylo Ren was the Capitol’s golden boy. After he had won his Games at 16, he had become Gamemaker Snoke’s apprentice, basically becoming a Capitol citizen. He hardly ever returned to the district, and Rey had stupidly assumed he was somehow exempt from this reaping. 

The murmuring came from the crowd, not the male victors, none of whom looked the least bit surprised, especially not the towering form of Kylo Ren who walked confidently up the stage stairs. Rey saw his eyes meet Phasma’s for a faction of a second, firm and cold, before he turned to face the crowd. The man from the Hob had been right. If all the victor-tributes were like Kylo, Rey stood no chance against them. She could defend herself pretty well against the malnourished boys of Jakku, but there was no way she could fight someone like Kylo. Not unless she had a gun and he was defenseless, though she didn’t think that counted. 

“Let’s have a round of applause for our tributes,” Phasma said like she always did. There was a polite smattering of clapping, though Rey noticed that neither of the remaining two male victors brought their hands together. This again was surprising, as Rey considered Kylo basically a member of the Capitol, and thought the others would be happy with him being thrown in instead of them. 

“Well, then,” Phasma said once the meager applause had stopped, “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be  _ ever  _ in your favor.” Then she turned and motioned for Rey to walk ahead of her into the Mayor’s building. 

Rey’s feet moved of their own accord, falling into step behind Kylo who had begun walking before Phasma had reached the word ‘favor’. A peacekeeper showed her into a small room that must have been an office. 

“Your family will come to see you now,” he told her. “You’ll have five minutes to say goodbye.”

He turned and left Rey alone. Rey had no family. Plutt would not come see her. She would sit in that room for five minutes by herself. 

Then the door opened, and Finn and Maz burst into the room. 

“Finn!” Rey cried, throwing herself into his arms. She tried not to cry but tears slipped from her eyes anyway. Finn wrapped his arms around her. He had been her best (and only) friend since she had met him at age twelve. A sandstorm had kicked up on the mesa and he had grabbed her hand, leading her to safety. At the time, Rey had been incensed that he thought she needed saving, but after a while, she’d calmed down enough to give him a chance. 

“Rey, look at me,” Maz said, and Rey picked her head up from Finn’s shoulder to look into the old woman’s eyes. “You are stronger than you know, sweet girl,” Maz smiled sadly. “Don’t convince yourself you don’t have a chance. You are fast and brave. Use it to your advantage.”

“You can do this Rey,” Finn told her, holding her in front of him by her shoulders. “You know how to survive.”

“They know how to survive too!” Rey attempted to control her tears. 

“Rey, you can fight! I’ve seen it!” Finn insisted.

“Yeah, boys. I can’t go up against Kylo Ren.”

“Kylo Ren will have his work cut out for him if he thinks he’ll make it out alive,” Maz said vaguely. “I suggest you stay away from him, but plenty of the other victors will be interested in allying themselves with a girl of your abilities. You are resourceful and quick thinking. Show them.”

“But Maz, you said-” Rey began but the door opened and a peacekeeper said, “Time’s up. Let’s go!”

“Rey,” Finn said suddenly, but the peacekeeper grabbed his arm and pulled him away from her. “Rey! I never told you-” Finn shouted, but the door shut in his face and Rey did not get to hear what he had never told her. 

The door opened again a few seconds later and another peacekeeper motioned for her to follow him. She walked, one foot in front of the other, threw the Hall of Justice and out to the train platform. Rey turned and could see Finn fighting through the crowd, trying to reach her. “Finn!” she cried and took a step away from the train, but the peacekeeper grabbed her and forced her through the doors. They shut in her face as she cried again for her friend.

“Come on,” growled the peacekeeper, and he led her to a room at the back of the car where Phasma and Kylo Ren sat at a table with the other two victors, who she realized, were now mentors to her and Kylo. 

Kylo’s eyes narrowed as he took in her dirty clothes and tear streaked face.  _ What must I look like to him? _ Rey thought. _ A terrified little girl too skinny to lift a knife _ . 

_ You are stronger than you know _ , Maz had said to her. 

“Ah, Rey,” Phasma stood and beckoned for her to sit at the table with them. “We’ll be off soon and arrive at the Capitol tomorrow morning. This train goes so fast, we could make it there tonight, but they do like to make a show of the tributes arriving.” 

Rey sat next to the older of her mentors, Mace Windu, a grizzled man with an eye patch. He surveyed her but said nothing. 

“Are you hungry?” Phasma asked politely. The train jerked forward and Rey grabbed the arms of her chair in panic.

“No need to worry,” Phasma smiled. “We’re on our way.”

“Get her something to eat, Phas,” Kylo spoke low. “The kids from Jakku are always hungry.”

“I’m not a kid!” Rey spat at him, unsure why this angered her. “I’m eighteen!”

“You’ll likely be the youngest person in the arena,” the other mentor said, Coleman Kcaj. “Get used to being seen as a child. It may be a good strategy. It will certainly earn some sympathy.”

Rey looked down at her lap, suddenly ashamed. The reality of the situation, especially the fact that she had no idea what she was doing, hit her like a load of masonry. 

“We’re here to help, Rey,” Coleman told her. “Kylo won’t need much mentoring, so we’ll be focused on you. What are your strengths?”

Phasma set a plate of chicken and rice down in front of Rey, who stared at it open mouthed before grabbing the chicken with her hands and shoving it into her mouth. 

“Eating seems to be one of them,” Windu joked. 

“You think it’s funny she’s never had enough to eat?” Kylo barked at him. “You’re going to choke,” he said to Rey, his voice quieter but still cold. 

Rey ignored him and scooped rice into her mouth with a cupped hand. 

“We’ve never had a tribute from Jakku before,” Coleman thought aloud. “I didn’t know they were…”

Phasma was staring at Rey like she was both a little puppy that had been kicked and a disgusting slug. The plate was clean except for the chicken bones in under two minutes. 

“Well, now that you’re fed,” Phasma said slowly, “what are your strengths, Rey?”

“My strengths,” Rey repeated.  _ What had Maz said? _ “I’m fast. I can climb. I can fend for myself, find food and stuff like that.”

“So not entirely hopeless,” Windu said. 

“Do you think they’ll be willing to ally with me?”

“Some of them maybe,” Coleman nodded. “Maybe District 3? Their tributes haven’t been reaped yet, but I think any of them would be willing.”

“Who was chosen from District 4?” Kylo asked. 

"Kuruk and Morgan," Phasma answered. 

Kylo nodded, his expression thoughtful. 

"Kuruk is a friend of yours, is he not?" Windu asked. 

“No one is friends in the arena,” was Kylo’s bitter reply. 

“Good thing you aren’t in the arena yet,” Windu responded coldly. 

Kylo looked at the old man with malice. Rey thought for a moment that he might jump over the table and throttle him, but instead he smiled with no humor and softly said, “Yes, Mace. It’s a good thing  _ we  _ aren’t in the arena.”

If Rey had to pick one word to describe Kylo Ren, it would be volatile. She spent the night on the train discussing tactics with Phasma and Coleman. They decided she would present herself as a humble, yet confident orphan. She would rely heavily on her friendship with Finn to show that someone would miss her if she died, something that was very important, according to Phasma. They also convinced her, after almost an hour of arguing, to pretend that Plutt was a kindly old man who had raised Rey like a daughter and would be ruined if she died in the Games. Kylo Ren spent the night having a loud argument with Windu at the other end of the train and then destroying both his room and the connecting carriages. Rey decided it was luck, rather than Kylo’s conscious choice, that left her room untouched although it was right next to his. Maz had certainly given her good advice when she said to stay away from him.

They arrived at the Capitol the next day, by which time Rey had eaten more than every previous day of her life put together. Kylo mostly stayed in his room, which had been cleaned up quite quickly, almost as if they had expected him to wreck it. A large crowd of colorfully dressed citizens waved their train into the station. Rey watched them, interested, but refused to wave at them as Phasma had suggested. Kylo brooded and narrowed his eyes. Rey thought he would play more to being the Capitol’s favorite, but he just sat and stared haughtily at his fans. 

They were taken straight to their stylists. Rey’s was a tall woman with bright pink skin and golden hair named Zorii. After having every inch of skin waxed, her hair washed and brushed, her nails cleaned and filed, and her measurements taken, Rey was presented with her costume for the Tribute Parade. Zorii and her counterpart, Kylo’s stylist Bazine, had decided to focus on District 2’s gold mining industry. Rey couldn’t have cared less, despite Phasma’s continuous attempts to make her believe that the first impression she made on the Capitol citizens would be important. No matter what she wore, standing next to Kylo she would look like a tiny little mouse about to be thrown into a meat grinder. 

Phasma told her to wave as the horses began to pull the chariots forward, but as soon as she was out of earshot, Kylo growled, “Don’t you dare.” Rey decided it was worth disappointing Phasma to avoid pissing off Kylo who, in a week, would be able to kill her in any manner of his choosing. Because they were the second chariot, and because she was so overwhelmed by the cheering to remember that tributes always waved, Rey didn’t realize until they had made their way around the ending circle in front of Emperor Palpatine’s palace that she and Kylo were the only ones who did not have their hands raised. 

Phasma, Coleman, and Windu then took Rey and Kylo to their apartment in the training arena. Phasma showed Rey around but Kylo, who knew the space well not only from his previous time as a tribute, but also from his last twelve years as a mentor, disappeared to his room. No one spoke at dinner, which was probably best considering how much tension there was in the air between Kylo and Windu. Rey couldn’t really bring herself to care. She probably had under two weeks left to live and she was not going to spend them worrying about Kylo's problems. She spent the evening with Phasma and Coleman, going over her strategy for training in the morning and learning about the technology in their apartment. Her favorite view from her bedroom was the forest. It was greener than she thought possible, and the soft noises of the birds and the rain soothed her to sleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo prepare to enter the areana, including training, exhibiting their skills to the gamemakers, and being interviewed by Caesar Flickerman.

While Rey had impressed upon Coleman that she is quite handy with a staff, he strongly encouraged her not to show off any skills to the other tributes, but to try to learn new skills, such as firebuilding or camouflage. He also suggested being friendly with District 3, Beetee and Wireress. After watching them for a while in the training room, Rey supposed that this is because they are the only two, besides the drug addicts, who will be desperate enough to want to team up with her. On the other hand, she was the only one desperate enough to team up with them, so she spent the afternoon teaching Wireress how to climb the rockwall so that Wireress would teach her to start a campfire. 

Kylo’s strategy in the training room was clearly to intimidate as many of his fellows as possible, something he was exceedingly good at, to the point that, by the end of the first day, Rey was convinced that he could kill her blindfolded with one hand tied behind his back. His ‘friend’ Kuruk was no less deadly, and despite Kylo’s insistence that they are not friends, spent all of his time at Kylo’s side, glowering at anyone who dared to approach them. 

Rey indeed was the youngest person in the room, though she was closely followed by the female tribute from District 5, Paige. Beetee hit it off with Paige quickly, as they began discussing power converters on the second day, and soon enough, Paige was teaching Rey to throw lances.

On the third day, Kylo and Rey were scheduled for a private lesson in the training room with Windu and Coleman to prepare for their private session with the gamemakers. Kylo insisted he didn’t need any lessons, so Rey got the whole period to herself. Both of her mentors were happily impressed with her prowess with the bo staff and her ability to climb just about anything in under a minute. 

“Definitely show them that,” Windu nodded after she jumped from the climbing wall onto a cart carrying throwing weights. “I thought we’d get lucky with a 5, but I’m thinking we might be able to pull a 7 at least.”

“Thanks,” Rey said, meaning to be sarcastic, but sounding genuine. 

“You will go fourth,” Coleman told her after she jumped down from the cart. “They won’t be bored yet, so it’s a good time to go. Of course, going after Kylo isn’t ideal but that’s the way it is.”

“What will he show them?”

“Probably that he can destroy the entire gym in a minute flat,” Windu gumbled. “Good thing the only thing you need for your demonstration is a stick.”

Rey was particularly happy to be fourth the next day because it meant she didn’t have to wait in the small room with the other tributes for very long. The tributes from 12, who will go last, both look like they might throw up. There was a confusingly long time between when Kylo’s name was called and when she was let in, and she saw that Windu’s prediction had probably been accurate because there were not as many weapons around as there usually were. Either he used all of them or somehow broke them all; probably the latter. She took a staff from one of the carts, obviously Kylo didn’t think them worth ruining. She showed them her forms and then climbed the Jacob’s ladder. Head Gamemaker Snoke nodded at her and motioned for her to leave. Rey couldn’t help but feel she should have done something more. She probably would have looked great if she had gone right after one of the District 6 drugees, but definitely looked inadequate going after Kylo. 

Their scores were broadcast that night, as they would be having their interviews tomorrow. Kylo got a 12, which was unheard of. 

“What in God’s name did you do in there?” Zorii asked, aghast. 

Kylo just grunted and otherwise ignored her. 

Rey received an 8, which got more applause from their team than Kylo’s 12 did. He did not seem to care, and instead slunk off to his room at the first possible moment. 

“See, Rey,” Phasma said happily, “you have a chance! You can do this!”

Rey allowed herself to smile, though only a very tiny part of her believed that. 

Phasma and Rey spent the next morning together so that Phasma could prepare Rey for her interview with Caesar Flickerman. Rey could barely walk in the heels but she was trying very hard so Phasma was kind to her. 

“There has been quite a bit of coverage of your friend, Finn,” Phasma told her before lunch. “So, if Caesar Flickerman asks, maybe it would be good to paint him as your sweetheart. I’m guessing he’d be good to keep the rouse up for you, don’t you?”

Rey stared at her. 

“Rey,” Phasma sensed her unease. “I understand how you are feeling. Well, no, actually I don’t, but I know that this will help you. A little love goes a long way in the eyes of sponsors.”

Rey just nodded. 

Zorii put Rey into another gold dress for her interview, though it was quite a bit more tasteful than the outfit for the chariot ride. Rey was surprised to see Kylo in an all-black suit; she thought the stylists would try to match them again. Her confusion was quickly explained as Bazine burst into the room complaining loudly that Kylo refused to wear what she had designed. 

“Give it up, Baz,” Zorii said to her. “We all knew you weren’t going to get him in that gold getup.”

Once again, Rey was very happy she was one of the first to go on (third this time), so she didn’t have to wait very long backstage with the other tributes. 

“Ah, Rey from Jakku,” Caesar sang after she had sat in the seat opposite him. “You’ve impressed us all. The only tribute who wasn’t a previous victor, and yet you scored an impressive 8. Thoughts?”

Rey tried to smile like Phasma told her she should. “Well, my father - I mean caretaker -” That was another thing she was supposed to do, call Plutt her father. “He taught me to defend myself. It can get a little rough where I’m from.”

“Very true, sounds like a caring man.”

“Oh, he’s so sweet. Took me in as his own flesh and blood,” Rey would very much like to puke at her own words. 

“So sweet!” Caesar turned to the audience as they let out an ‘aw’. “Now, tell me, Rey. Are there any more men in your life?”

“Well,” Rey was supposed to blush here, which she had no trouble doing under the hot lights and thinking about the lie she was about to tell. “There is a special guy, I guess.”

“Oh, I think I might know his name,” Caesar teased. 

“I don’t doubt it, Caesar.”

“So now, you’re going to try to win for this special boy?”

“I’m going to try my hardest. I told him after the reaping, I would try to win.”

“Very sweet,” he smiled. “Ladies and gentlemen, the tribute from District 2, Rey Kenobi!”

The audience applauded and Rey climbed the stairs up to her seat behind Caesar. 

“Now,” Caesar said happily, “a very special treat, one of our favorites, right?”

The crowd roared with excitement. 

“Please help me welcome to the stage, the victor of the 63rd Hunger Games, Kylo Ren!”

In contrast to the Capitol’s adoration of him, Kylo showed indifference at best to their reaction. He answered Caesar’s questions in as few syllables as possible, oftentimes just speaking one word in a boody, angry tone. 

“Now, Kylo,” Caesar began to wrap up. “You know all the tributes except the one from your own district, that’s right?”

Kylo gave a stiff nod. 

“What do you think of Rey? Pretty cute, right?”

Kylo huffed and Rey’s stomach dropped. He was about to say something awful and destroy any chance of her getting a sponsor. He would tell them she had no chance at winning, that she’d die the first day, within the first hour. 

“Cute? I don’t call beautiful women who could probably kill me with their hands behind their backs cute. That girl is a force to be reckoned with.”

Everyone in the recording hall stared at him as if he’d just said he’d like to cuddle up with Snoke for a while. Rey had stopped breathing. Of all things, she did not expect him to say that. It was worse than anything she’d imagined. He had made her look dangerous. She had a target on her back now. 

“Really? That means a lot, coming from you.”

Kylo shrugged. 

Despite the fact that she certainly couldn’t even bruise him  _ without  _ her hands tied, Rey shoved Kylo against the wall of their apartment as soon as they stepped inside. Kylo was either too surprised or too tired to stop her.

“What the hell was that? You don’t speak to me for the entire week and then you come out and tell them I’m a  _ beautiful woman _ ?”

“He did you a favor!” Windu yelled.

“What? A favor? He made me a target!”

“No, he made you look intimidating, something you desperately needed,” Coleman explained quietly. 

Rey let go of Kylo’s shoulders and threw her hands into the air. 

“I agree with you, though, Kylo” Windu said quietly. “She’s a force to be reckoned with.”

“You need to get some rest,” Phasma wrapped an arm around Rey’s shoulders and led her away. “Tomorrow is a big day.” 

“I don’t need reminding that I’m probably going to die tomorrow, Phas,” Rey spat, but immediately felt bad. Phasma had always tried to be helpful and supportive. “Sorry, you’re right, I just-”

“It’s alright, Rey,” Phasma patted her back. “Let’s go upstairs.”

Rey let Phasma lead her to her bedroom. “Why did he do that?” Rey asked.

Phasma sighed, “Honestly, I don’t know. If I had to guess, I’d say he wanted to take some of the pressure off himself. If he finds you intimidating, the other tributes will go after you first.”

“That’s what I thought, but Mace and Coleman thought he was helping me.”

“Who knows why Kylo does anything?” Phasma shook her head. “Try to get some rest, Rey. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Rey could still hear the others talking for a long time, but finally they fell silent. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep, so she thought of the ocean for a while, but the waves kept turning into Kuruk and the ocean kept turning into blood. Finally she got up and went downstairs. 

Kylo sat on one of the window sills, looking out across the city that was still lit up. He nodded at her when he saw her before turning to look out the window again. The only thing Rey thought of to say was ‘can’t sleep either?’ so she said nothing and sat on the sill across from him. 

They sat in silence for a long time before Kylo finally said, “I volunteered for my first Games.”

Rey had assumed that, but she hadn’t known for sure. She’d only been 6 when Kylo won, and mentors weren’t usually shown on the national broadcasts so she hadn’t known much about him.

He sighed, “My parents were very against volunteering. I didn’t care. I wanted to get out, any way possible, and the Games were the only way. I thought I could win.”

Rey understood wanting to get out of District 2, and considering his build, it was obvious he stood a good chance at winning. She stayed silent. 

“My parents, before I left, said that Snoke and Palpatine would try to use me against them. They were not too secret about not liking the regime. I wanted to make it about me, not about them, so I asked if I could change my name. By the time we arrived in the Capitol, I was Kylo Ren.”

“Kylo isn’t your real name?”

“It is now. No one knows my name is really Ben Solo. I mean, people know in 2 but it’s not like they talk about it. People in the Capitol might remember, but they don’t care. Plenty of them have changed their names.”

“Ben,” Rey repeated, trying the name out. It fit him well, especially in this space where he wasn’t towering over her intimidatingly. Kylo was someone warped and manipulated by the Capitol. Ben was someone who sits on window sills and looks out at the city with a girl from his district. 

He looked at her quietly for a long time, his eyes intense like lasers into her own. There was something in them, a deep sadness, loneliness maybe, that Rey felt call to its mirror image in her. It scared her, so she broke the silence. 

“Where are your parents now?”

Ben broke eye contact with her and looked back outside. “I thought they were dead, but they’re not. I found out a bit before the Quarter Quell announcement. They’re in District 13, or what’s left of 13. My mother is leading the rebellion.”

_ Rebellion, District 13 _ , words Rey could theoretically comprehend but never thought she’d hear them used while talking about reality. 

“The rebellion?” she repeated in a stupefied whisper. 

Ben just nodded and then said, “That’s why it didn’t surprise me, the Quarter Quell. Snoke and Palpatine wanted to use me to try to control them, to threaten them into submission. When that didn’t work, I was too much of a liability to keep around. There were three names on the pieces of paper in the reaping pool, and all three of them were ‘Kylo Ren’. I was so stupid to think that changing my name would be all it took to break away from my family’s legacy; so fucking naive to believe Snoke wouldn’t sell me out the first chance he got.”

“He betrayed you,” Rey tried to be sympathetic. 

“I should have expected it,” Ben replied bitterly, “I shouldn’t have trusted him, shouldn’t have trusted anyone. I won’t make it out of the Games alive; they’ll make sure of that.”

“Oh, Ben,” Rey said softly. She reached out to touch his knee. She wanted to do something to help him, but they were up against so much, and Rey felt so small. 

“You could though,” he continued. “You could live, Rey.”

“You know that’s not true. At least, the chance of it is so small - I will try, but I’m just being realistic.”

Ben reached over and pulled Rey into his lap. Rey was too astonished by the motion to put up any resistance, not that she wanted to. He cradled her against his chest, strong arms wrapped around her. Her head was tucked gently under his chin and his long hair brushed against her forehead. 

“Ben,” she said, not because she wanted him to let go of her, but because she was honestly confused. There was Kylo Ren who liked to demolish rooms, have loud fights with Windu, and brood moodily, and then there was Ben who was touching her so gently, as if she was something special. 

He whispered into her hair, “Please just let me hold you for a while. I’m already dead, Rey. I just want to feel alive one last time.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night and morning before the start of the 75th Hunger Games.

Rey tilted her head up to look at him. His eyes met hers, so deeply sad, so alone. Her eyes reflected the same emotions back to him. Something shifted in his expression. He looked desperate now, as if asking her for something. They would die tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, then the next day, and if not the next day… At some point in the next two weeks, their lifeless bodies would be lifted out of the arena. They already belonged to the Capitol. Snoke and Palpatine already owned them, called the shots, and decided when they died. 

_ But this _ , Rey thought,  _ this is ours. They can’t have this night. It belongs to us _ . So she brushed her lips quick against his, not really a kiss, more of an invitation. He shitfed her in his arms so that he could really kiss her. He pressed his lips against hers as he pressed her flush against his chest. His lips were so soft. Rey had been kissed before, but only by Jakku boys who were much more interested in getting her clothes off as fast as possible. Never by someone who was fully present and dedicated to actually  _ kissing  _ her. 

His arms were wrapped around her, making her feel surrounded by him as his tongue slid against her bottom lip. She opened her mouth for him and he licked into her. Rey let her own tongue slide against his, tasting him, feeling him, only him. He let out a quiet groan from the back of his throat as his hands moved down her sides to hold her waist. They were so big; he rested them tightly on the side of her ribcage, so his thumbs were situated just under her breasts and his fingertips almost reached her spine. It was a bit awkward because she was sitting sideways in his lap, so she had to twist in order to have her chest against his. One of his hands came down and touched her left thigh. He broke the kiss and leaned back so that he could grab her knee and pulled her leg over so that she was straddling him. Rey was a bit too lost in the whole situation to do anything other than let him manhandle her into the position he wanted. 

This new position was nice though because every part of her body was now pressed up against some part of his. Her knees were planted on either side of his thighs; her hips were pressed into his hips; her chest was flush with his chest. She ran her fingers through his hair and slid them along the sides of his neck. He tilted his head so his mouth was slotted over hers and his nose pressed into her cheek. Their tongues tangled together as if they were trying to drink each other after almost dying of thirst. He worked his jaw, plush lips sliding against hers, hands on her waist pulling her ever closer. 

_ Is this a good idea? _ Rey suddenly thought. Given what would happen tomorrow, no, it was not a good idea to be making out with another tribute right now.  _ Don’t think about tomorrow. Just think about this, this moment, this feeling. It’s the only thing we have that they can’t take from us.  _

“Hey, you alright?” Ben asked. Rey must have stopped kissing him while thinking. 

“I- yes, sorry. I got kind of into my head a bit,” she leaned back and slid her hands down his chest, feeling the tight muscles there flex under her touch. 

“Hmm,” was his response. He leaned his head back against the side of the window nook and closed his eyes. His hands continued to move: down the tops of her thighs, back up and around her waist to her spine, up to her neck to tangle in her hair and then back down to her hips. Rey felt her muscles relax one-by-one as his hands touched them. She closed her eyes as well and let her mind concentrate on the sensation of his hands on her body and hers on his. She let her hands explore his chest, then move up to cup his neck and pressed her fingers into his scalp behind his ears. He let out a long breath and Rey felt him relax beneath her. 

_ This is all there is, _ she thought. 

“Let’s go to bed,” he suggested softly, his words a little mumbled because he barely opened his mouth. 

It was not a bad suggestion, but Rey was unwilling to move away from him, let alone be in a room without him. He seemed to read her mind. He wrapped his arms under her and stood up. Her legs wrapped around his hips, and her arms wrapped around his neck instinctively to support herself. She laid her head on his shoulder and pressed her face into his neck as he carried her upstairs and into her bedroom.

He set her gently down on the bed and followed her under the covers, pulling her against him again so that every inch of her, from her toes to her forehead, was pressed into him. Rey let her right hand rest gently on his hip as she breathed out, her breath hot on his neck. His arms wrapped around her, cradling her. Rey forgot about the Games, and about Snoke and Palpatine. She had even forgotten about Kylo Ren. All that was real was the feeling of Ben Solo against her and the sound of the birds in the trees through the window. Before long, she was asleep.

* * *

The first thing Rey was aware of was that someone was shaking her awake. The second thing was that she was very hot, which made sense because Jakku was hot all the time, but what didn’t make sense was that she had blankets covering her. She very rarely slept with blankets. 

“Rey, wake up,” a woman’s voice said. That also made no sense. The only woman she knew who might wake her up was Maz, and what would Maz be doing at Plutt’s. “Rey,” she said again, and Rey opened her eyes to look into Phasma’s face. “I’m glad you got some sleep,” Phasma said, and then gave a look to the person next to Rey as if to say,  _ but I’m not glad about whatever this is _ . Rey understood then that she was so hot because Ben was a furnace next to her. 

“You better get up too, Kylo,” Phasma said to him, her face still disapproving. “Mace has been going apeshit looking for you. He thought you’d done a bunk.”

“I did seriously consider it,” Ben said, his voice deep and gravely from disuse. He stretched sleepily. 

Rey sat up and kicked off the covers, trying desperately not to think about the day ahead. 

“Come downstairs and get something to eat,” Phasma motioned for Rey to get out of bed. “Then we’ll take you to the transport. Zorii will meet you there to go over the outfit you’ve been given.” With one last pointed look at Ben, Phasma led Rey out of the room and downstairs. “I found him,” the woman called as they walked down the stairs to the dining room. 

“Where was he?!” Windu demanded, standing by the head of the table looking mutinous. 

“In Rey’s room,” Phasma’s voice continued to convey how she thought about that. She motioned for Rey to sit down at the table, “Try to eat something, Rey.”

“In Rey’s room?” Coleman repeated, then looked at Rey, shocked, “You think that was a good idea?”

“Leave her alone, Kcaj,” Ben was walking down the stairs. The look on his face dared anyone to defy him. 

Coleman huffed and gave Rey another astonished look before saying, “Do try to eat something, Rey.”

Rey had never had trouble eating before, but even the scrambled eggs she tried to swallow felt dry as sandpaper against her throat and made her stomach feel as if she’d just eaten a handful of wriggly worms. Ben sat down across from her and obviously had no trouble eating as he began to shovel food into his mouth. 

“Alright,” Coleman said, rallying. “Last minute strategy reminders. Don’t move off the platforms until time, obviously. Run away from the Cornucopia. There may be some useful items close by worth grabbing, but do not go farther into the center than a few feet away from the platforms. The first thing to do is find water, though shelter is also very important, so if you can’t find water right away, focus on that.”

“You both have alliances worked out,” Windu joined in, “though I’m not sure how the current situation has changed that.”

Ben made an odd sound, though it may have been because he just shoved an entire waffle into his mouth. Rey scrunched up her face in confusion, “What ‘current situation’?”

“My advice to you, Rey,” Windu continued as if he hadn’t heard her question. “Is to rendezvous with Beetee, Wireress, and Paige quickly.”

“Just so you know,” Coleman added, “I believe Paige might have reached an agreement with Johanna and Blight, so they may be a part of your group.”

“Johanna Mason?” Rey couldn’t hide her displeasure at this news. “Isn’t she kind of crazy?”

“A bit,” Ben nodded, “but she’s dead useful. Your alliance needs some fighters. Johanna and Blight are both good warriors. Paige was smart to get them on your side.”

“I can fight!” Rey insisted.

“You want to be the sole fighter in a group of four?” Ben asked. Rey couldn’t argue with that.

“What’s your plan, Kylo?” Windu asked, his tone a little patronizing. 

“Like I’d tell you,” Ben bit back. 

“I’ll be able to watch your every move, in case you’ve forgotten,” Windu retorted, “so there’s no point in keeping it a secret, unless it’s Rey you don’t want to tell. Although, I would have expected more from you based on where you spent the night.”

Ben stood and Rey suddenly realized that perhaps he wasn’t  _ Ben  _ anymore. He seemed much more Kylo at the moment. 

“That had nothing to do with the Games!”

“Oh really?” Windu stood as well. He was only a little shorter than Kylo, and Rey instinctively slid her chair back to remove herself from the confrontation. “You don’t think I know what you were doing, messing with her head like that?”

“It wasn’t like that!” Rey shouted just as Phasma put her hand on Windu’s chest and said, “Sit down, Mace, really!”

Windu sat down, glaring at Kylo who remained standing until Phasma turned to him and said, “Perhaps you should go change.”

“Fine,” he replied and stormed upstairs. 

_ You don’t think I know what you were doing, messing with her head like that? _ Was he just messing with her head? Was that what last night was?  _ Please just let me hold you for a while. I’m already dead, Rey. I just want to feel alive one last time.  _ No, that couldn’t have been fake. That wasn’t just him messing with her. That was real, but it didn’t matter anymore. It was over. They had lived for the last time last night and now their lives belonged to Snoke and Palpatine.  _ Dead man walking _ , Rey thought as she managed to eat a couple more mouthfuls of egg. 

Phasma helped Rey dress, though it didn’t matter what she wore as she’d be changing into whatever outfit the tributes had been assigned once they got to the arena. Then she, Windu, Coleman, and Kylo rode the elevator down to meet the transports that would take them to the arena. 

They stepped outside the training center and a gusty wind hit them hard, making the skirt Phasma had picked out for Rey flap around her knees. Windu turned to Kylo suddenly and said quickly, “Look, I don’t know what your strategy is, but just give us as much time as you can.”

Kylo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

Windu grabbed Kylo’s forearm as a peacekeeper moved toward their group. He spoke low, so Rey could only just hear him, “Do you understand? Give us as much time as you can.”

A multitude of emotions crossed Kylo’s face before he seemed to gain control, and it turned to stone. “I understand,” he said, gruffly. 

“Do not ask,” Coleman hissed in Rey’s ear just before the peacekeeper took her arm and led her behind Kylo into the transport. The mentors stayed outside, the wind causing their robs to dance violently around them. Rey watched them as the peacekeeper strapped her into her seat and administered the tracking device to her forearm. 

The trip to the arena was short, but it felt like hours to Rey. There was so much tension in the transport that Rey felt like her lungs were being constricted by it each time she breathed in. Kylo had chosen a seat up farther so she couldn’t see him without very obviously turning to her right, so she did not. Paige was seated across from her, and the woman gave Rey a small smile that probably was meant to be sympathetic and comforting, but had the opposite effect as it came out as more of a grimace. 

Zorii met Rey in the tunnels under the area, and Rey had never expected to be so relieved to see her. She tied Rey’s hair back into three buns down her head and helped Rey into the arena outfit. 

“There’s a waterproof jacket,” Zorii informed her, “so presumably, water won’t be hard to find. They also gave you a belt for your trousers, which may come in handy.”

“I remember a girl used it to sleep in a tree last year,” Rey mumbled. Her mind feels many miles away. It had not yet caught up with the fact that this is her reality. 

“Exactly,” Zorii nodded. “No cold weather gear, so it won’t be a snow-scape, but there is still a good amount of heavier clothing, so nothing too hot either. Did you have a token from your district? We haven’t spoken about it before, it’s a bit late to get it approved but-”

“No, I don’t have anything,” Rey cut in.

A bell chimed. 

“Okay,” Zorii said, rubbing Rey’s shoulders in an attempt to be comforting. “It’s time to get in the tube. “Keep breathing, you’re going to be …. Remember not to step off the platform until it’s time.”

Rey stepped onto the platform and tried to take a deep breath, but it felt like her lungs had been flattened. 

“Keep your head high, Rey,” Zorii said as the last bell chimed and the platform began to rise. 


End file.
